Celebration of Scholars
StarD6 and Alzheimer’s Disease: Identifying Potential Ligands and Binding Sites
Name:
Danielle Koziczkowski
Major: Biology
Hometown: Grafton, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: SURE
Funding: SURE
Abstract
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that has become much more prevalent in the growing elderly population. This disease is caused by aggregation of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles. This inevitably leads to impaired cognitive function, and neuronal death. StarD6 is a steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and has been shown to possess neuroprotective properties. Patients with AD have decreased levels of StarD6 and elevated cholesterol levels. We are investigating possible ligands of StarD6 to see if cholesterol and other steroids associated with AD are able to bind to this transport protein, as well as which residues in the protein they bind to.